Isaiah 51 - Common English Bible (CEB)

Look to Abraham and Sarah

51 Listen to me,
you who look for righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut
and to the quarry where you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your ancestor,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
They were alone when I called them,
but I blessed them and made them many.
3 The Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her ruins.
He will make her desert like Eden
and her wilderness like the Lord’s garden.
Happiness and joy will be found in her—
thanks and the sound of singing.

Salvation endures forever

4 Pay attention to me, my people;
listen to me, my nation,
for teaching will go out from me,
my justice, as a light to the nations.
5 I will quickly bring my victory.
My salvation is on its way,
and my arm will judge the peoples.
The coastlands hope for me;
they wait for my judgment.[a]
6 Look up to the heavens,
and gaze at the earth beneath.
The heavens will disappear like smoke,
the earth will wear out like clothing,
and its inhabitants will die like gnats.
But my salvation will endure forever,
and my righteousness will be unbroken.
7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,
people who carry my teaching in your heart:
Don’t fear human scorn,
and don’t be upset when they abuse you.
8 The moth will eat them as if they were clothing,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my righteousness is forever,
and my salvation for all generations.

Awake, arm of the Lord

9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
arm of the Lord.
Awake as in times past,
generations long ago.
Aren’t you the one who crushed Rahab,
who pierced the dragon?
10 Didn’t you dry up the sea,
the waters of the great deep?
And didn’t you make the redeemed a road to cross
through the depths of the sea,
a road for the redeemed to pass?
11 Then let those ransomed by the Lord return
and come to Zion with singing
and with everlasting joy upon their heads.
Let happiness and joy overwhelm them;
let grief and groaning flee.

12 I, I am the one who comforts you.
Why should you fear humans who will die,
mortals who are treated like grass?
13 You forgot the Lord your maker,
the one who stretched out the heavens
and founded the earth.
You were continually afraid, all day long,
on account of the oppressor’s wrath—
a fear by which they intend to destroy you.
Where now is the oppressor’s wrath?
14 The imprisoned ones will soon be released;
they won’t die in the pit
or even lack bread.
15 I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of heavenly forces is his name.
16 I put my words in your mouth
and hid you in the shadow of my hand,
stretching out[b] the heavens, founding the earth,
and saying to Zion, “You are my people.”

Wake yourself, Jerusalem

17 Wake yourself, wake yourself!
Rise up, Jerusalem,
who drank the cup of wrath from the Lord’s hand.
You drank; you drained the goblet of reeling.
18 There’s no one to guide her among all the children she bore;
there’s no one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised.
19 These two things have happened to you—
Who will be sorry for you?[c]
destruction and devastation,
famine and sword—
who will comfort you?[d]
20 Your children passed out;
they lay at the head of every street like antelope in a net,
filled with the Lord’s wrath,
with the rebuke of your God.

21 Therefore, hear this, suffering one,
who is drunk, but not from wine.
22 The Lord, your Lord and your God,
who contends for his people, says:
Look, I have taken the cup of reeling,
the goblet of my wrath, from your hand.
You will no longer drink from it.
23 I will put it in the hand of your tormentors,
who said to you,
“Lie down so that we can walk on you.
Make your back like the ground,
like a street for those walking on it.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 51:5 Or for my arm
  2. Isaiah 51:16 Or planting
  3. Isaiah 51:19 DSS (1QIsaa), LXX, Vulg; MT How will I
  4. Isaiah 51:19 Or how will I comfort you?

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51 Hearken unto Me, ye pursuing righteousness, Seeking Jehovah, Look attentively unto the rock -- ye have been hewn, And unto the hole of the pit -- ye have been digged. 2 Look attentively unto Abraham your father, And unto Sarah -- she bringeth you forth, For -- one -- I have called him, And I bles...
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51 Hear ye me, that follow that that is just, and seek the Lord (Listen ye to me, ye who follow what is right, and seek the Lord). Take ye heed to the stone, from whence ye be hewn down, and to the cave of the pit, from which ye be cut down. 2 Take ye heed to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, that...
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Isaiah 51 - World English Bible (WEB)

51 “Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek Yahweh.Look to the rock you were cut from, and to the quarry you were dug from.2 Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you;for when he was but one I called him, I blessed him, and made him many.3 For Yahweh has comforted...
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Isaiah 51 - The Voice (VOICE)

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Isaiah 51 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

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Isaiah 51 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Blessings in Store for God’s People51 “Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance, you who seek the Lord;look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were digged.2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you;for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed ...
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Isaiah 51 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Blessings in Store for God’s People51 “Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance, you who seek the Lord;look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were digged.2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you;for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed ...
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Isaiah 51 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Blessings in Store for God’s People51 Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord.Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you;for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed h...
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Isaiah 51 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Blessings in Store for God’s People51 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord.Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug.(A)2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah, who bore you,for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed ...
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Isaiah 51 - New Living Translation (NLT)

A Call to Trust the Lord51 “Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance— all who seek the Lord!Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined.2 Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation.Abraham was only one man when I called him...
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Isaiah 51 - New Life Version (NLV)

Comfort for Zion51 “Listen to me, you who are following what is right and good, and who are looking for the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were cut out, and to the hole from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain. When he was but one, I ...
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Isaiah 51 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Lord Comforts Zion(A)51 “Listen to Me, (B)you who [a]follow after righteousness,You who seek the Lord:Look to the rock from which you were hewn,And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.2 (C)Look to Abraham your father,And to Sarah who bore you;(D)For I called him alone,And (E)blessed h...
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Everlasting Salvation for Zion51 “Listen(A) to me, you who pursue righteousness(B) and who seek(C) the Lord:Look to the rock(D) from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;2 look to Abraham,(E) your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth.When I called him he was only one man...
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